Strawberries
by darkest-nights-will-end
Summary: After she stops carrying her EpiPen, Frankie has an allergy attack in school and it's up to Miles and Hunter to make sure she's taken care of.


**Hello! I wanted to write something focusing on all the Hollingsworth siblings, not just the twins. I suppose this could be a branch off from the series, or read as a standalone.**

 **This is dedicated to my friend Ang. This was an RP we did a while back and I got inspired to write this. She played Miles, I played Frankie, and we took turns on Hunter.**

 **And now, without further ado!**

Frankie had never actually needed to use her EpiPen. She'd only ever had one allergy attack, and although it had supposedly been pretty severe, she had been too young to really remember it. So, once she entered high school, she'd stopped carrying it in her bag. It had just become an inconvenience, another thing to scramble past when she was looking for her phone, or the extra tube of lip gloss she always kept in her purse.

Besides, she was almost an adult, she knew what she could and couldn't eat.

* * *

Frankie stood at her locker, talking with Shay about their latest English assignment, when Lola came rushing up to the two girls, two cups in hand. She thrust said cups into their hands, talking with excitement.

"Guys, I need you to try this. It's a new drink I've been working on for the restaurant, and you have to tell me what you think!" she said, her eyes shining with pride at her latest creation. Shay and Frankie took the cups out of her hand, each taking a sip.

"Wow, this is really good, Lo! What is it?" Shay gave her feedback first, while Frankie continued to drink. She'd never tasted anything like this before, and she really liked it.

"It's called Agua de Fresa," Lola replied, her accent flawless. She smiled widely, soaking up the praise. She'd been working for weeks creating the perfect concoction, and it made her proud to see her friends enjoying it.

"What about you, Franks? Do you like it?" Frankie finally managed to pull the drink away from her lips, smiling at her best friend. She noticed her throat tickled a bit, but she assumed it was just from the cold temperature of the drink

"It's amazing. What's in it? It tastes fruity, but I can't figure out what it is," she said, before taking another sip of the mysterious liquid.

"Yeah, what's in it?" Shay asked.

"It's really simple actually! It's pretty much just sugar and water mixed with strawberries and-" Lola was cut off as Frankie's eyes widened. She handed her cup to Shay, who took it, understanding what was happening. Shay began to look around nervously for something that could help, but the only thing nearby was a trash can. She threw the cups away as Frankie began to panic.

"Lola, really? Strawberries?" She started coughing, which didn't help matters. She could feel the symptoms beginning to set in. It made sense now, why her throat had felt strange. How much of the drink had she consumed? Enough, obviously.

"Yeah, why? What's wrong?" Lola looked confused. Shay took over, explaining it for Frankie.

"Frankie's allergic to strawberries, Lola! Did you not know that?" Shay wasn't yelling, but she was speaking in a rushed tone. She knew that Lola could be a bit ditzy, but this just became a matter of life or death for their friend.

"Um, Yes? No? Oh, I don't know! I'm sorry Frankie!" She stammered over her words, feeling bad for basically poisoning her. "What should we do? I probably have some natural remedies in my locker, I can go get them-"

"She doesn't need natural remedies, she needs a hospital," Shay told Lola. Frankie's condition was worsening, fast. Her face had become red and swollen, and her breaths were short and choppy.

"Get Miles- he's in Math. And Hunter- probably in computer lab. Meet me in bathroom. Please. " She barely managed to get it out, but Lola understood. She nodded and raced off to find her brothers. Shay meanwhile stayed with Frankie, leading her to the nearest bathroom so that the risk of a scene happening was decreased.

When they arrived, Frankie sat down on the floor. It was becoming harder and harder to breathe, and although she tried not to freak out, it wasn't easy. Tears began to stream down her face. She was scared. She couldn't remember what had happened last time, but she was okay then. But second chances don't always work out so well. What if she couldn't get help in time? Would she die? Would it hurt?

Shay could sense her friend's discomfort, and despite being scared herself, she put that aside for the time being. She didn't dare touch the other girl, not wanting to make things worse, so she sat across from her, saying the only thing she could think of.

"It'll be okay. Your brothers will be here soon, they'll know what to do."

* * *

Lola ran through the halls. She felt awful. Once Shay had said it, Lola remembered immediately that Frankie was actually very allergic to strawberries. She had just been so caught up in the excitement of perfecting her drink that it had slipped her mind. At least now, she was being helpful. She came to the computer lab first, opening the door with purpose. Sure enough, Hunter was seated at the computer in the corner, headphones on as he was invested in one of his many games.

Lola rushed over to him. He didn't seem to notice her presence, so she took the headphones off of him, which definitely garnered his attention. He looked at her, confused as to what she wanted.

"What the hell are you doing?"

"It's Frankie!" Lola said, with urgency. Hunter rolled his eyes, not looking terribly alarmed.

"For the last time, Lola, just because we're twins doesn't mean I know why she's 'acting strange-'"

"No, it's serious. She, um, she had something with strawberries in it and she needs to go to a hospital!" She said, pulling him up out of the chair. At the word 'strawberries,' Hunter knew exactly what was wrong. He stood up and ran past Lola, the game laying forgotten on the computer. Lola followed him out.

"Does Miles know?" He asked her.

"No, I'm going to get him now."

"Where's Frankie? I'll go find her while you get Miles, okay?"

"Girl's bathroom, next to our lockers," she said, already running in the direction of the English class Miles was presently in. Hunter nodded before racing off himself.

* * *

Hunter rarely ran. He spent a lot of time sitting at home, so the most exercise he got was when a game would get too intense and he'd stand up off the couch while pressing buttons furiously.

However, this was different. A lot different.

Hunter couldn't remember what it was like when his sister was having an allergy attack. He had a very vague memory of being in a hospital waiting room with his parents and Miles, but not of how severe Frankie's case had been. All he remembered was a feeling of fear and loneliness. He didn't know what to expect as he rushed down the halls, avoiding anybody who might be in his way. Luckily for him, the computer lab wasn't far from the bathroom in question, so he made it in a matter of minutes. He felt sort of weird about entering the girl's bathroom, but there was no time to be uncomfortable.

He opened the door, and his ears were immediately filled with the sounds of struggled breathing mixed with shallow sobs. He looked down to see Frankie, still sitting on the floor, clutching her bag to herself, as if it were her lifeline. Shay looked terrified, sitting across from her as she tried to figure out what to do.

"Give me your purse." Hunter kneeled to the floor in front of her, giving her enough space to try to continue her breathing. He lightly put his hands on her arms, and she looked up at him, her eyes bloodshot. He knew she kept an emergency EpiPen in her bag, and if he could find it, he could help give her the shot, even though the thought of stabbing a needle into her made him a bit queasy.

Frankie obliged, giving it to him silently. He searched, pulling out her phone, some gum, various makeup products, keys, pens, pencils, spare change, and many more objects. He dumped them all to the floor as he searched desperately. Once he got to the bottom of the bag, with no EpiPen in sight, he began to visibly freak out. He was trying to keep calm, but it wasn't working well.

"Franks, where's your EpiPen?" He looked her dead in the eyes.

"At- it's at- home," she barely gasped out, and Hunter's eyes widened at her voice. It didn't even sound like her. He took a good look at her for the first time. Her face was red and slightly swollen, stained with tear tracks. The sight broke his heart.

Hunter felt helpless. He had no idea what to do for her. He checked his watch. How long had they been there? Time didn't seem to matter, every second was too long. He looked around the room, for something, anything that could be helpful. The only thing there though was the sinks. He looked back at Frankie before getting up and going to the sink, wetting a paper towel gently before bringing it over to her. He sat down beside her, guiding her head to his shoulder as he placed the cool towel on her forehead. It wasn't much, but maybe it would help just a little, if only to make her more comfortable. She gripped his hand and the two sat against the cold wall of the bathroom.

"Hunter, I- I can't b-breathe," she cried out. Hunter didn't think he could feel any worse until she uttered those words.

"Miles is coming, okay? You're going to okay, I promise. We'll take care of you. Just keep breathing," he said, not sure if he was trying to assure her or himself as he clutched her hand.

* * *

Lola was still on the run, going to find Miles. Unfortunately, his class was on the other side of the school, meaning she had some distance to travel. But she did, she ran through the hallways, ignoring the sounds of teachers telling her to slow down. She didn't care if she got in trouble, as long as Frankie was okay.

She finally reached Miles's Math class. The teacher was right in the middle of a lesson, but Lola didn't care. She entered the room like she owned the place, immediately seeking out Miles, who was looking at her in confusion.

"Miss Pacini, what is so important that you feel you can just enter my class unannounced?"

"I'm sorry, Mr. Armstrong, but I really need Miles, right now." Miles only looked more confused. Had he accidentally sent her another naked picture? It was meant for Tristan! He was ready to defend when Mr. Armstrong replied.

"I'm sure whatever it is, it can wait until after class-"

"No, it can't! It's his sister, Frankie! She's having an allergic reaction!" Miles stood up, concern etched on his face. He was the only one of the three siblings who vividly remembered the day of the infamous allergy attack, and he had begged to any being that may or may not exist that it would never happen again.

"I'm sure Miss Hollingsworth can take care of herself," he countered, but Miles stood his ground.

"No, she needs to go to the hospital. I'm sorry, Mr. Armstrong, but I have to go," Miles said, and with that, the two dashed out, Lola waving to the class as she left.

* * *

"Where did she get strawberries?" Miles asked as they ran, Lola leading him. She flushed a bit, embarrassed to explain that she had been a bad friend and forgotten her best friend's life threatening allergy.

"It was, um, it was me. I gave her a drink with a strawberry base. I didn't mean to!" Miles looked back at her in disbelief. He knew Lola had her head in the clouds, but forgetting Frankie's allergy? Really?

"Lola!" He exclaimed, his voice sounding betrayed. When he and Hunter weren't around, he trusted Lola (and Shay) to make sure Frankie was okay. A silent trust that had been broken.

"I'm sorry! I know it was bad, okay?" She at least had the decency to sound like she felt bad, which she did. But there were more important matters to discuss and getting into an argument with her best friend's older sister wasn't going to help anything.

"We're not done talking about this," Miles promised as they reached the bathroom, Lola holding the door open for Miles. She didn't dare get in the way of him and Frankie. His protective instincts had kicked in, hard.

Miles dropped to the floor where his siblings were sitting. Frankie was getting worse by the minute, and Hunter looked absolutely petrified. He got straight to business, asking questions.

"How long ago did you have the drink?"

"15 minutes," she whispered out in between breaths.

"How much did you drink?"

"Don't know. A lot."

Where's your EpiPen?"

"She doesn't have it, it's at home," Hunter answered for her, figuring she should be talking as little as possible to save her breath while she could. Miles sighed. He would talk to her later about the EpiPen, but for now, there were more pressing matters to attend to.

"Alright. Come on, Franks, we're going to the hospital." Miles hooked one arm underneath her knees, and another around her back, picking her up bridal style. He figured the less she was exerting herself, the better. Hunter grabbed her bags from the floor and followed Miles out the door, leaving Shay and Lola in the bathroom wondering what to do.

* * *

Miles didn't want to run, knowing the speed would make things worse for his little sister, but he didn't want to take his time either, knowing she was in immense pain. So he settled for a light jog. Hunter was only a step behind him, rushing with urgency out the door. The brothers didn't bother to tell anybody they were leaving, not wanting to take up any more time than necessary. They raced to the car, Miles unlocking it. Hunter threw everybody's belongings into the passenger's side before focusing his attention back to his siblings.

Frankie was grasping onto Miles for dear life, parts of his shirt balled up in her fists. There were tears on shirt as well, but he didn't care. Hunter opened the back door and Miles lowered her in gently, making sure she was as comfortable as could be. He expected to get to the driver's seat, but was surprised to see Hunter already sitting there.

"What are you doing?" Miles asked him.

"Give me the keys. Sit back there with her. You know what to do better than I do, and I know you. You're just going to freak out if you're up here." He failed to mention that he was also freaking out, but he knew Miles would be more help in the back. Miles listened, handing Hunter the keys as he lifted Frankie's head gently and sat in the back before letting her head lie in his lap. Hunter wasted no time with starting the car, and they were on their way to the hospital.

Once Miles was positive Hunter had a handle on everything, he turned to Frankie. He combed his fingers through her hair, trying to soothe her.

"Miles- I-I'm going to- die," her breath hitched, and Miles found himself unable to speak for a moment. He didn't want to think about that. She was going to be fine, she had to be. The doctor would take her back and work his medical magic on her, and within the hour, they'd be on their way home to destress from the day's events.

"No, you're not. Okay? You'll be alright, I promise," he told her softly.

"It hurts so much," she cried, and Miles could do nothing but sympathize with her, trying to relax her somehow.

"I know it does. But you're doing great, just keep breathing slowly, in and out." Miles demonstrated, letting Frankie sync her breathing with his. It took a few tries, but she eventually got it. "Just like that, Frankie," he praised.

Hunter looked at them in the rearview mirror and sped up, just a bit.

* * *

Miles and Frankie entered the hospital, Frankie still securely in Miles's arms. Hunter had let them out at the front before going to park the car. As the time passed, she had become less responsive, and Miles wasn't sure she was going to be able to hold on for much longer. He had to hand it to his sister, she was a fighter. Miles took her to the receptionist and began speaking quickly.

"My sister is having a severe allergic reaction to some strawberries she had earlier and she needs help, now." The receptionist didn't even flinch, instead getting out a load of paperwork for Miles.

"We can take her once you've filled out these," she told him, barely looking up from her computer.

"No, you don't understand, she needs to be seen to right this instance! We can't afford to wait."

"Sir, it's not my policy, it's just the way things are. You're not the only person here who needs something taken care off," she pointed out, and while she was right, they had already been waiting long enough. Miles sighed. He didn't want to do this, but he knew it was the only way.

"Ma'am, do you know who I am?" He asked her, putting on his best 'rich kid asshole' persona.

"I'm sure you're about to tell me."

"I'm Miles Hollingsworth III." She looked up at him, obviously recognizing the name. He pulled out his license, showing it to her as proof. "Yeah, that's right. Son of Miles Hollingsworth II, also known as the Mayor of Toronto. And this right here, is Francesca Hollingsworth, sole daughter to our father. I don't want to have to call him. But I will. And he's a very busy man, I don't think he wants to have to take time out of his day to come over here and make sure his little girl is properly attended to. Do you want that, Ma'am?"

"No, I don't," she sighed, before picking up her phone and ringing for the appropriate personnel to come take Frankie. A doctor appeared with a stretcher to whisk her away with, and Miles relented, lying her down onto the makeshift bed. Miles explained the situation briefly, and before long, Frankie was on her way back to be taken care of.

"You still have to fill out the paperwork." The receptionist held it out to him, which he took without argument. He smirked as he headed back towards the waiting room, where Hunter was already seated.

"I would be happy to."

* * *

Miles filled out the form with ease, answering the questions to the best of his ability before handing it back to the receptionist, who assured him that she would make sure he was kept apprised of what was happening. Miles wanted to fight with her about going in, but he still felt bad about bringing his name into it the first time.

"It's a waiting game now," he said to Hunter, who didn't acknowledge him. Miles tried again, hoping to engage his brother in conversation. It was a lot less scary than imagining what was going on in that hospital room.

"Thank you for driving us here. You're getting a lot better." Still nothing. Miles finally turned to him, touching his shoulder lightly. "Hey. What's going on?"

"I don't know," he mumbled, staring straight ahead. Hunter wasn't always the best at expressing himself, but Miles knew that, and pushed again for Hunter to open up.

"She's going to be okay. You know that, right?"

"Yeah. Thanks to you." To anybody else, it would have been hard to distinguish Hunter's tone. But Miles knew. Hunter felt helpless and scared. And, if Miles's assumption was correct, a bit jealous.

"Hey, you helped to! You drove us here. You did a much better job than I would have. And you were really good at staying calm. I was freaking out," he said, trying to highlight the positives.

"I didn't know what to do in the bathroom. I just sat there. Terrified. I still am. And you knew exactly what to do!" Miles finally took a good look at Hunter. He looked empty. Like there was a piece of him missing. And there was. Hunter and Frankie were two sides of the same coin. They balanced each other out.

"You did the best you could do. You looked for her EpiPen, which saved a lot of time. And you comforted her. It was scary. I know it was really scary for you. But you put that aside to make sure she felt as safe as she could. We couldn't have gotten here without you. And to be fair, this isn't the first time this has happened. You were just too young." Miles placed an arm around Hunter. The positioning was quite awkward, but both brothers appreciated the touch.

"What was it like? Last time?" Hunter asked him, his voice softer than Miles had ever heard it.

"Well…"

* * *

Diana, Miles, and Hunter were all in the waiting room. Miles II had gone back with Frankie, as she was too young to be by herself. Miles was seated next to his mother, with Hunter placed firmly on Diana's lap. The young boy had started crying the second he saw his sister get carted away. Diana wasn't sure why he was crying, but she was trying to stop it.

Miles was generally a pretty lively child, causing chaos wherever he went. But this was different. He knew hospitals were bad, and the absence of his father and sister only served to make things worse. Miles had been the one to give her the strawberry, splitting it between her and himself. He was working on his sharing abilities, and he had felt like brother of the year.

That was, until something had gone horribly wrong.

One minute, he'd been laughing with his sister, and the next, she had began to cry. Miles had been confused as to why she was crying, until she screamed that she couldn't breathe. His sister was usually dramatic, but this time, she had seemed very serious. So he had raced to his mother, and within minutes of seeing her daughter, the Hollingsworths were all en route to the hospital.

"Is Frankie going to be okay?" Miles asked Diana. Hunter's head turned at the mention of his twin. Diana gave him a weak smile before answering.

"I hope so. Daddy will be out soon, he'll tell us what's going on," she promised, before turning her attention back to Hunter. Nothing seemed to be getting the child to stop his whining. "Hunter? Do you want to play on Mommy's phone?"

"No," he said, through his tears, which was a rare occurrence for Hunter. He was usually entranced by all the colors and lights on his mother's device.

"Then what do you want?" She begged him to tell her. Her ears couldn't take much more of his crying.

"Frankie! Where's Frankie?" He asked her, as if he thought she was gone forever. Diana was about to give him a sugar-coated version of what was happening, but Miles interrupted her.

"The doctors are trying to stop her from dying!" Miles told him. He wasn't trying to be malicious, or scare Hunter, but Miles had seen enough TV to know that hospitals weren't good.

Hunter was too young to really understand the concept of death, but he did understand the concept of his sister not being with him. The two spent nearly every minute of every day together, so of course he noticed her absence.

Hunter's crying got even worse. His screaming was starting to attract the attention of the other people in the waiting room, and they didn't look too thrilled.

"Frankie!" He screamed out, trying to struggle out of his mother's grip to find his sister. Diana had finally had enough and stood up, turning to Miles.

"I'm going to go let Hunter see Frankie. Maybe it'll get him to stop crying. Stay here, Miles. Either myself or Dad will be out in a minute, okay?"

"Okay," Miles nodded, feeling bad that he'd gotten his brother hysterical again.

* * *

Mr. Hollingsworth exited the double doors separating the waiting room from the rest of the hospital. He sat down next to Miles, looking at him, annoyed. His main priority was his daughter, and having his sons getting involved with the chaos was distracting him from Frankie.

"Your mother and Hunter are in there with your sister. Hunter's throwing a fit no thanks to you." Miles felt a bit guilty. It was his fault that she was here in the first place.

"I'm sorry. When can I see her?"

"You and I will go in after your mother comes back. Although I don't know if she'll be able to pry Hunter off of Francesca." He couldn't help but laugh, which put Miles somewhat at ease.

* * *

"Eventually, Dad took me back to Frankie's room, and you were wrapped around her so tightly, it was like you were one person. I think there's a picture of it at home somewhere. But I didn't even get to hug Frankie until we got home, you were so attached to her," Miles recounted the memory. Hunter smiled. He and Frankie had been so close in their younger years.

"Do you think we'll be able to see her soon?" Hunter asked. Even though realistically, he knew she was fine, he wouldn't feel better until he could see for himself.

Miles checked his watch. He would be lying if he said he didn't want to go make sure the doctors had done their job. But he didn't want to disturb their work, either. They would come out when they were ready. After Miles had pulled his status, he had a feeling his sister would be getting only the best.

"Yeah. Yeah I do. They're probably just making sure she doesn't have a reaction to any of the medicine they've given her," Miles said nonchalantly. Hunter, however, stood up straight and moved to get up, his eyes wide.

"You mean she might have another reaction? And make things worse?" Miles placed a firm hand on his arm, preventing him from getting up.

"It's just a precaution. She's okay. I promise," he told him. And somehow, Hunter believed him.

* * *

"Family of Francesca Hollingsworth?" The doctor called, and Hunter and Miles wasted no time getting up and meeting the doctor by the door.

"Is she okay?" Miles asked. Hunter stared down the doctor, trying to determine by body language if there was anything wrong, but he couldn't find anything alarming.

"She is perfectly fine," he smiled, the the relief of both brothers. "Francesca was brought in just in time. She did lose consciousness, but we gave her an IV, and her breathing is stabilized now. Once she wakes up, which should be any moment now, you may bring her home."

"Can we go see her?" Hunter asked. The doctor nodded and led the boys to her room.

When they entered, they found Frankie lying unconscious, with an IV in her left arm. Her face was no longer swollen or red, and she looked at peace, to the relief of Miles and Hunter. They took vigil on either side of her bed, and waited once more.

* * *

Frankie opened her eyes, adjusting to the light. She noticed a dull pain in her left arm, but wasn't sure why. She wasn't quite sure where she was, either, but before she had time to take everything in, two familiar voices rang in her ears.

"Frankie! How are you feeling? Do you need anything?" Miles.

"Does your throat feel better? Can you breathe?" Hunter.

"Um, Can I have some water?" she said. Her throat was a bit sore. Frankie's eyes adjusted to the light and suddenly everything came flooding back to her. The strawberries, the car ride, the hospital. Her brothers being there every step of the way.

Miles walked over to the sink, fulfilling her request, while Hunter took a good look at her, making sure there were no lasting effects. Luckily, she felt much better, although she was a bit concerned with the IV. Miles came back seconds later with the water, which Frankie took gratefully. She drank the liquid quickly.

"Miles? When can we go home? I'm tired."

"I'll go get the doctor, okay? I'll be right back and we'll be back home before you know it."

"Thanks," she mumbled as Miles exited the room, leaving Hunter and Frankie alone.

"I'm glad you're feeling better," Hunter said, unsure of what else to say.

"Me too."

"You need to start carrying around your EpiPen again," he told her. She nodded, agreeing with him.

"I didn't think I'd ever need it again," she admitted.

"Yeah, well, even if you don't, it's preferable to not having it and having a repeat of this."

"This wasn't fun," she tried to joke, but Hunter was very serious.

"It was terrifying, Frankie. You almost died." His quiet voice cracked as he looked around, deciding that he hated hospitals.

"But I didn't."

"But you could've. So promise me you'll carry your EpiPen again. Please?" Frankie could see the pain and concern in his eyes, and that alone was enough to make her nod her head. Even if she never needed it again, at least she wouldn't have to see Hunter so torn up about it.

"I promise." She held out her pinky and he graciously linked his with hers, before letting their hands fall onto the bed, pinkies still intertwined.

* * *

Miles came in with a doctor. He unhooked Frankie's IV and cleaned the wound, had Miles sign some release papers, and soon after sent the trio on their way. Before they left, the doctor gave Miles a bag with two extra EpiPens in it. One for home and one for school.

"You know, it's still early. We could go back to school," Miles checked his watch as they exited the building, arm in arm. The twins looked at him in disbelief.

"No way. You're not really going to make us go back, right? After everything that happened?" Hunter questioned, stopping dead in his tracks. Miles smirked at them, having tricked them, if even for a moment.

"Relax, I'm just kidding, let's go home. Hunter, keys." Hunter tossed him his keys, and automatically sat in the back, allowing Frankie to sit shotgun, which tended to be a source of conflict between them. To his surprise, however, she chose to sit in the back with him.

* * *

As soon as the sibling got home, Hunter reached for the bag Miles got at the hospital. He took one of the EpiPens out and put it in his school bag before handing the other over to Miles, who did the same. It was nice to know that the two brothers were on the same page.

They were about to make Frankie go put hers in her purse, but when they looked over, she was wrapped in a blanket, invested on some show on TV. She looked content for the first time that day, and neither brother could bring themselves to force her to get up. It could wait until that night. Instead, they joined her on the couch, Hunter on her left and Miles on her right, as they watched whatever she had picked.

All three were just happy to be home, safe, sound, and together.

 **Thank you to everybody who has, read, reviewed, or favored this. I appreciate it all!**


End file.
